The present invention relates to a standard side pull rear rim brake caliper positioned below a drive portion of a chain and above the chain stays of a bicycle with a brake actuating arm positioned on a non drive side of the bicycle and away from operation of the front derailleur and chain drive components.
A modern bicycle may be designed with consideration for the aerodynamic drag on the bicycle. Reducing the aerodynamic drag allows increased speed without increased effort by the rider. One portion of the bicycle that creates drag is the rear rim brake.
The rear rim brake is typically mounted to seat stays of the bicycle frame. While the bicycle moves forward, the rear rim brake moves through the air creating aerodynamic drag. The reason is that due to functional requirements, standard side pull rim brake calipers that are common in the prior art are not shaped with particular regard for aerodynamic efficiency.
Prior art bicycles have rim brakes attached to different areas of the bicycle frame. For example, rear rim brakes have been attached to the underside of the bottom bracket region; unfortunately, when positioned in this location the cable actuating arm for the standard side pull rear rim brake caliper will be located on the drive side (i.e., sprocket side) of the bicycle. The sprockets and chain and derailleurs occupy the space that is required to route the cable to the rear rim brake and in which the brake actuating arm must operate. As such, the drive components interfere with the operation of the standard side pull rear rim brake. To overcome the insufficient amount of space on the drive side of the bicycle, prior art bicycles have used center pull rear rim brakes or custom-made rear rim brakes with the rear rim brake actuating arm on the opposite side of the caliper compared to the standard side pull rear rim brake. This allows the rear rim brake actuating arm to be positioned on the non-drive side of the bicycle such that the cable and rear brake caliper have space to operate. Unfortunately, such custom rear brakes are not common, and thus, replacement parts are not readily available.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved aerodynamic racing bicycle.